SEHunter, it's my opinion that whatever way the lube of your choice gets evenly distributed on the outside of the case is best. If it's not the same amount on all the cases, full length sized bottleneck cases will have quite a spread in their head-to-shoulder measurement. I like that spread to be under 2 thousandths. I've tried spray on, rub on, and roll on case lube of just about all makes available. None gave the results after sizing as what I ended up using; read the next paragraph.

I tumble my decapped then cleaned cases in a foam-lined metal coffee can in a Thumbler's Tumbler. Putting 5 drops of my lube (a 60-40 mix of STP engine oil treatment and Hoppe's No. 9 bore cleaner) on the foam's enough to evenly coat 50 cases. I tumble them for the time it takes to full length size the previously lubed 50 cases.

After full length sizing all those slippery cases, I clean them by putting a hundred or two on a large terry cloth bath towel tube (one end sewed closed) that's got a bunch of laquer thinner dribbled on its inside. Then closing the open end in one hand and holding the closed end with the other, I shush the brass back and forth in that 4-foot long 1-foot diameter towel tube. That quickly cleans off all the lube making the cases now ready for primer, powder then bullet. Then turn the cloth tube inside out and let it dry then it's ready for use again using the other side of the cloth. After several uses on both sides, it goes in the clothes washer and drier to clean it out.